My love and attraction for the full moon have always been a part of me. Over the course of about three years, I published two books of poetry about the moon: Moon Chimes and Moonglow (available on Amazon). Both were based on projects that I set for myself. Over the period of two different years, each evening during the full moon, I drove to a hill above my city to watch the full moon rise and soar in the sky. Each poem was inspired by my observations on each evening.
Today, there is a total lunar eclipse, which is sadly not visible from the United States. This particular eclipse is being called a “Blood Moon.” An eclipse occurs when the Earth passes directly between the sun and the full moon, casting its shadow on the moon. With an extraordinarily long and reddish 83-minute totality phase, this eclipse will be visible from Antarctica, Europe, Africa, Madagascar, Asia, and the western Pacific Ocean. So, if you are reading my blog from any of those regions, I hope you step out into the dark to view it.
The occurrence of this exceptional eclipse inspired me to investigate the meaning of the word “eclipse.” Being a word smith, I enjoy expanding my knowledge of etymology and meaning. “Eclipse” derives from the Greek verb ekleipein (to leave, to fail to appear), formed from ek- (“from” or “out”) and leipein (“to leave”). “Eclipse” has three essential meanings. The standard meaning of the word is the “obscuring of the light from one celestial body by the passage of another between it and the observer or between it and its source of illumination.” (Merriam-Webster). The literary meaning is “losing or having lost significance, power, or prominence.” (Merriam-Webster) And, the third meaning is ornithological and defines the fading of feathers on some birds: “Eclipse plumage is the dull, female-like non-breeding plumage that male ducks and some other birds wear temporarily after the breeding season to camouflage themselves during a simultaneous molt of their flight feathers, which renders them flightless and vulnerable to predators.” (Merriam-Webster). The verb “eclipse” thus can be used to mean “surpass,” “exceed,” “top,” or “better,” while the noun is the synonym of “declination,” “deterioration,” “decline,” “degradation,” or “descent.” (Merriam-Webster)
The origins and meanings of words fascinate me because so many of our abstract uses of words come directly from the concrete world, which we observe on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. So, my wish for myself and for you for this month is that we shine brightly, that no one or nothing obscures our light, that our reputations remain admirable, that our hair color does not fade, that our positive expectations are exceeded, and that we suffer no decline. Have a wonderful month of September!
My Writing Goals for 2025
1. Continue to develop my poetry and connections with other poets:
Bardic Trails: The Talking Gourds/Bardic Trails is a monthly Zoom presentation of poets, followed by an open mic, which is broadcast from Telluride, Colorado. The beloved poet Art Goodtimes is the host. This month, the featured poet was Pete Anderson, author of Riding the Wheel, Reading Colorado, Heading Home— Field Notes, and First Church of the Higher Elevations.
Columbine Poets: Columbine Poets meets on Saturday mornings—sometimes in person and sometimes on Zoom. In August, Lynne McNamara presented a useful in-person session on the rondeau. One week, Anita Jepson Gilbert presented on the work of Naomi Shibab Nye on Zoom. On August 30, I presented an in-person session on Charles Baudelaire and his poems from Les Fleurs du Mal and Le Spleen de Paris.
Cannon Mine Poets: The Cannon Mine Poets group in Lafayette in August featured a group of poets: Abigail Seber, MD Friedman, Valerie A Szarek, and Naomi Horii in an inspiring presentation that combined poetry and music.
2. Finish my first novel and query agents (IW): No progress.
3. Finish my second novel (G): No progress.
4. Continue to work on my third novel (PW): No progress.
5. Continue to develop a network of kindred spirits in the world of writing and publishing: I continue to enjoy logging on each month to Bardic Trails and attending poetry readings, one arranged by Beth Franklin at the Boulder Bookstore and the other hosted by Larry LaVerdure in Lafayette. I have also learned a tremendous amount about how to write and read poetry in the Columbine Poets group since I joined. The critique groups are quite useful, and the presentations are excellent.
Boulder Writers Alliance: As president, I attended and hosted our August Social at Chautauqua. I also attended a Zoom presentation by Terry Mark, who writes The Vim Hood Chronicles.
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers: I read the newsletter.
Women Writing the West: I am looking forward to the online conference on October 17–18, 2025.
6. Document my writing progress through my blog and post it on the seventh day of each month, one blog per month in 2025:
Today is September 7, 2025. I am posting my ninth blog for this year. August was a pleasant month weather-wise where I live. My flower garden is splendid. And, I have been involved in poetry groups, presented on Baudelaire, and attended both in-person and online poetry presentations. As Voltaire commented, “Il faut cultiver notre jardin.”
A Poem for September
September
By Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lo! A ripe sheaf of many golden days
Gleaned by the year in autumn’s harvest ways,
With here and there, blood-tinted as an ember,
Some crimson poppy of a late delight
Atoning in its splendor for the flight
Of summer blooms and joys—
This is September.
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